How to Market Yourself Selectively
Finding Your Dream Job in Current LinkedIn Job Listings
Marketing yourself selectively on LinkedIn is as easy as 1-2-3. All the data needed to unlock your next great career adventure exists right there in current job listings. And, it has nothing to do with filling out online applications.
STEP 1:We dream with purpose and formulate a SMART action plan. Once clearly define goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound, marketing selectively becomes far easier.
Let’s say a SMART action plan calls for a mid-senior PR role with public-facing responsibilities in the Houston market in the energy sector.
Upon hitting the LinkedIn search bar, returns largely include the words “marketing,” “community relations,” and “campaign” in the job titles.
Dismiss those, right? Not so fast. Look beyond the titles and focus on the responsibilities, desired background, and soft skills, like leadership experience.
STEP 2: Reverse engineer the job search. Searching for mid-senior PR roles turned up this “community relations manager” role. So let’s find out why in the first bullet:
- Formulates and executes a proactive community engagement strategy and engages both internal and external stakeholders via various communication platforms in support of the Company’s goals and its stakeholder relationships.
Sure sounds like a mid-senior PR role. Recruiters and hiring managers may not have control over how roles are titled or listed, though there will be keyword similarities.
From that role listing, the common keywords were “community,” “community relations,” “community engagement,” “engages,” “stakeholders” and “stakeholder relationships.” If that sounds like the dream job, time to match the LinkedIn headline.
Focus on the experience level, job role, and sector to signal the proper inquiries:
- Mid-Senior | Stakeholder Management | Energy
From there, LinkedIn bio keywords naturally fall into place:
Matty Warren is the Manager of Stakeholder Management responsible for stakeholder engagement, special events, and strategic communications for Marks Energy. She brings over 10 years of award-winning marketing, community engagement, and public relations expertise in the energy sector.
STEP 3: Once the LinkedIn profile and dream job match, follow through on the “T” in the SMART action plan and take a time-bound step forward. Message any common connections about the role, culture, work-life balance, and benefits. If answers sound good, ask more about the position and advice for getting a resume to the right folks.
Make regular rounds to a network of recruiters, hiring managers, companies of interest, and industry colleagues. Keep your name top of mind, request meaningful LinkedIn connections, make sure they know what you want and how they can help.
My final bit of advice: do not settle. Recruiters will come calling with pretty enticing offers. Compromise on roles and responsibilities where you can, but never take a job that gives you Sunday Scaries every day. Stick with what makes you happiest. Market yourself selectively and you’ll find greater career success in the long run.
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Monitoring Your Brand Reputation with Real-Time Alerts Is Possible. And IMPORTANT.
Over the years, I’ve worked with just about every media monitoring platform out there. You name it, I’ve either used it for clients or I’ve at least given them a spin.
There’s so many. Cision. Meltwater. Gorkana. Trendkite. Critical Mention. MyMediaInfo. TVEyes. Zignal Labs. LexisNexis. And on and on and on.
Every single one of these platforms incur costs and for an agency, that makes sense because you can’t be hands on with every account and you can diffuse costs across your clients.
But here’s where it gets a bit tricky. A few years back, a client was paying an agency I worked for a boatload for monthly monitoring and they were getting these monster reports as they neared a seriously important merger deal. So to keep up on brand mentions online across all the platforms, in the news media, in blogs, TV, radio and so forth, they paid us to keep them up to speed.
HOWEVER, despite paying these large sums and us even adding a more robust tool to what we had, our monitoring was NOT REAL-TIME. If you’ve never monitored your company before, you may not realize how big of a problem that is. But when you’re in a potential crisis mode 24/7, your heart races every time your device buzzes.
The closest we could get with any platform was 15 minutes, which is still pretty darn good. But it’s not immediate.
Add to that problem: our platform was constantly dumping in non-related news about other brands and with the volume of stories that pulled through, we missed a number of stories that had nothing to do with our clients.
Even worse: our platforms could not pull through Facebook mentions and was constantly missing even news stories that were SEO’d well enough that our free Google News alerts to pick them up. And Google News alerts are rarely reliable, so if that’s what you’re using right now, please keep reading.
When you’re paying someone for that level of service, you expect it to be perfect and rightly so. My client got frustrated and started hunting for real-time alert systems with better crawling to pick up everything. They also came up empty handed.
It was a massive headache for everyone. And I just could not believe in this technology age, we could not figure out a way to get what we pay for in monitoring services.
After I went out on my own, I knew my smaller clients could not afford those big budgets. I also knew operating without monitoring was a non-starter. I asked a group of trusted PR pros for some ideas on what might work for me.
As you’d expect, I got the list above and bunch more with all these new-fangled bells and whistles that frankly, don’t mean a hill of beans when all you want to know is “When is someone talking about my company and where?” It’s simple enough.
Then, a company I never heard of before came up. “Have you tried Mention? They’re pretty good and I think they have real-time alerts.” WHAT???? Where has this been my whole life?
I signed up for a trial. I was SOLD immediately.
Not only does Mention have real-time alerts (so fast, in fact, that I will post a story on Patch just to see a pop-up alert one hot second later) but they have some of the sleekest, most easy-to-understand analytics for listening or competitive analysis, AND they monitor EVERYTHING. INCLUDING FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND TWITTER! They offer automated reports, data exports plus they recently rolled out TV and radio monitoring.
And what’s that basic monitoring? For one user, $29 a month just for online monitoring – which is an incredible value. For $99 a month, you add in some incredible analytics and you’re really cooking with gas. Customized packages go up from there and seriously, it’s the best deal in the industry.
With one of the top-tier brands, I was paying $8,000 a year for the same amount of clients and relatively similar budgets. And again, no real-time alerts, clunky crawling and it constantly pulled non-related stories while missing actual client news.
I have a PR friend who does very little media monitoring for clients and she told me she uses the free version of Mention. “It’s incredibly fast,” she gushed. “I thought I’d get a lesser deal for the free and nope, it’s pinging almost as soon as I post an article.”
If you’re a PR consultant or a company looking for a monitoring solution, give Mention a try. Want to see what the dashboard looks like without going through a trial? I’m happy to do a screen share demonstration of my account.
NOTE: I am not being paid by the company for this love. They’re just THAT awesome.
Erica Holloway is the Founder of Galvanized Strategies and Chief of Strategy of Mouth Marketing.
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Transitioning from Journalism to Public Relations Can Be a Bumpy Journey
Since I left the newspaper life more than 15 years ago, I’ve probably helped more than a dozen journalist friends find jobs with public relations firms, government agencies and political campaigns.
In the beginning, I would gauge their feelings about public relations to see how realistically they viewed the profession. One friend said he looked forward to having short days and an easy paycheck.
“I can’t wait to just get paid to just write press releases,” I recall him saying. His first six months on the job was quite a lesson in perception vs reality.
[NOTE: Public relations makes the top most stressful jobs every year.]
Here’s some thing I didn’t know about public relations:
- Your client or boss doesn’t WANT to send out “newsworthy” press releases. Leaving the newsroom doesn’t mean you stop fighting over content (you’re still not in charge).
- Public relations gets a heavy dose of “value” checks today and you’re constantly measuring your worth in terms of deliverables. I send oodles of reports and alerts monitoring reputation, brand awareness and reach for sales or leadership audiences.
- You’re expected to help make money. In the corporate and nonprofit worlds, part of your role requires you to help drive up sales and fundraising, which is uber stressful. You’ll learn about things that will seem foreign, like CRM systems and conversion rates, how to utilize the wire to bump up SEO rankings and highly important brand management skills.
- Dealing with the media isn’t fun. Anticipating news stories is only part of the equation; the other half is knowing how to respond in a proactive way with internal sign off. And you’ll still need to get your positive stories out in trade magazine articles and on the wire to balance your communications strategy between earned, owned and paid.
Case in point, here’s a recent text exchange with my friend who just took a public information officer job after 20 years as a newspaper reporter:
“Is there a PR/Public Affairs support group that I can join to help me deal with reporters? Only half kidding. It’s crazy. TV reporters are the worst. It’s 2:30 pm and they call saying: I need an interview by 3 pm. Usually for a half-baked story. Oh, and I need it in Spanish. What?!? The thing is that we deal with a lot of legal and controversial issues, so we can’t just come out and start talking. We have to be careful with what we say and how we say it – sometimes the stuff we say can actually end up in court. It would be good if reporters could do a little homework before they ask us to comment.”
The irony was not lost on him that he now dodges the very interview requests he would have used as a litmus test for trustworthiness. Having those tough internal discussions about how and when to respond to media inquiries balances a number of valuable voices in what can be decision-by-committee situations.
The first time I faced a true media crisis, I was amazed at how much harder it was for me to execute tough decisions that as a journalist I thought were “no-brainers.” In fact, I made a few hasty choices in the early days that I assumed would work out well and it most certainly did not. Today, my years of experience has made me more cautious, not less.
The public’s right to know is more precious than ever before. Yet, even as a senior consultant, you’ll face times that the inner sanctum won’t give you all the information for a variety of reasons.
It will be frustrating, especially as you’ll be held to a high standard to protect the brand with one hand tied behind your back. I’ve learned that there are effective ways to give even the trickiest of interviews or fulfill touchy information requests that benefit the public AND your goals.
Whatever your thoughts are about public relations, whether you think you’ll get to kick back a bit or if you’re looking to stretch your communications skills in new ways, know that you’ll have a lot of soul searching to do when that first real media challenge comes your way.
It’ll reveal as much about your past life as your new one.
Erica Holloway is the Founder of Galvanized Strategies and Chief of Strategy for Mouth Marketing. Email: erica@ericagalvanizedstrategies-com
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Social Media Wars: Do You Fight Back? The Answers Might Surprise You.
The digital age gives everyone a microphone. Keyboard courage really does make people think they’re mental giants and with the scourge of bullying, it’s lead to some very dangerous (even deadly) outcomes.
Given my role with clients to help in times of crisis, I’m often push-pulled on this issue of fighting back and engaging not just with my clients but within my myself.
Some clients barely engage their audiences at all and so the choice to block or ignore trolls is obvious. Yet, other clients wage some pretty valuable debates online to sway opinion and motivate the support or opposition of well-informed folks. In those cases, the lines get far more blurry.
If you’re facing online battles, here’s some tactics to consider:
- Be conscious of the larger “listening” audience. We often think in terms of the original poster, yet a response from you is really reaching everyone in that thread and others watching with interest. Seize those opportunities with care and forethought to get your message out.
- Join support or opposition private pages (if they’ll let you). I rarely, if ever, actually make comments. I view it as a sacred trust that I’m allowed to listen in and keep tabs on discussion, education points and topics of concern to shape stronger arguments. Think of it as a living focus group.
- Address inaccurate information as quickly as possible and come prepared. Don’t just refute an argument with an argument. Bring links to data and sources that are not viewed as biased. If you’re dealing with an unhappy customer, apologize and make it right – right then and there. Open the door to talk by phone. Transparency is prized more than ever today.
- Monitor. I use Mention to keep up on all my online and offline chatter. The only place monitoring systems cannot go is private pages (hence, join if you can). My dashboard allows me to reply direct from my own accounts and calculates how far that message we fretted over actually went. Did it go viral? Time to act. Did it just reach their immediate audience of 500? Time to think.
- Engage wisely. I’m often asked if social media’s a Pandora’s Box. “If we start an account, that’s just inviting scrutiny.” Right. Like, if we don’t tell the kids about sex, they’ll never have it. Then one day, you’re wondering just how lack of information resulted in your teenager’s pregnancy. Nature abhors a vacuum. And in the absence of trusted information, people will seek their own sources. Be the source of your information. OWN IT.
- Report threats. Years ago, I would laugh off the online knuckleheads making bold, dangerous threats. Today, it’s no laughing matter. Everyday on the news, we see the online patterns of threatening posts from people who carried out terrible, violent acts. Protect yourself, your staff, your family and friends. Notify the authorities if you feel scared.
It’s important to fight back. It doesn’t have to be direct and open screaming matches. Just stick with some ground rules for engagement and shut off microphones when they get out of line. Be accountable to your organization and customers who are genuinely interested in quality discourse. Being disagreeable isn’t a bad thing; it’s an opportunity to get questions and misconceptions out on the table. Seize those chances to correct information and educate. And when you do it with class, respect and integrity, others listening will hear you too.
Erica Holloway is Founder of Galvanized Strategies and Chief of Strategy of Mouth Marketing.
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Beyond Words: Preparing for a TV Interview Is Less Message, More Image
My first TV coaching session did not go especially well. Frankly, I didn’t know enough to really help myself much less anyone else. In short: I focused on message and not image.
TV quotes do best when they are quick, memorable and visual. Dramatic or even cliche phrases also tend to capture the ear of post-production folks, while the more cerebral and meandering points may end up on the editing room floor.
So what DOES matter? In a word: Appearances.
PRO TIP: You don’t have control over what quotes get used. You do have control over how you appear to handle the subject.
I’m not talking about the qualities of attractiveness. I mean how we seem to handle our topics, especially if they’re controversial.
Are you calm and pleasant? Angry and defensive? Do you come across as knowledgeable and responsive? Or reactionary and hysterical? Do you seem put together or frazzled?
Think of the Kennedy/ Nixon debate. To the radio audience, Nixon handled the questions expertly. To the TV audience, he appeared sweaty and agitated while Kennedy came across calm and measured.
When getting a TV interview request, I’ve learned that routine matters for me as to whether I’ll perform well. For the sake of this example, I’ll discuss my routine for when I’m representing a client:
- Get every little piece of details for the interview I can, including who else is being interviewed and when. That’s important: if the story already has opposing voices, I’ll refine message a bit to redirect.
- Request to do it in as quiet an environment as possible. Usually, TV is a very accommodating on location and that matters when you’re trying to give good, solid answers without microphone disruptions. Nothing is more frustrating than having to give the same answer a couple times because a plane flies over or a truck rumbles by – you never feel as confident when it’s forced.
- Practice, practice, practice my talking points in front of a mirror. While I’m getting ready, I shut the door, turn off my phone and get completely focused on the issue at hand. I need to feel just prepared enough that I can relax.
- Sing! All the way to the interview. I stop thinking about my interview, the questions or talking points. I always show up relaxed, confident and before I walk in – power poses: hands on hips, arms overhead, hands behind my head. I become 10 feet tall inside.
- Breathing. While I’m in the green room or before I get out of my car for a live remote, I breath and focus my energy toward the topic. I know the reporter. I know my surroundings. I know my client. I know my subject. Ready!
- Image. In watching all my TV interviews, I’ve learned a few things about myself. I do, in fact, have a good side. It’s my right, so I try to have my hair on the left. Dangling earrings are a no-no. So is long, untamed hair. I shake my head too much and it’s a big distraction. I don’t smile on both sides of my mouth and I over gesture. That’s only something I do on TV, it’s a nervous thing. I have to consciously remind myself to smile completely and give my hands a rest. I’ve learned not to point, show an open palm to convey trust and listening VERY actively while formulating my answer with a pleasant, slight smile. Remember, the camera is rolling. Mics are hot. Be on your best behavior at all times.
In all that work, messaging is really the smallest component. However, do not think you can stroll into a TV interview and not be prepared. A bad answer can haunt you. Know your stuff, just don’t ignore how you come across because those interpersonal cues tell people more about you than your words. We trust what we see, less what we hear.
If you’re in a position to take interviews, do them all – it’s the only way you’ll get better. I’ve done interviews with every medium including podcasts and online TV through Skype. There’s so many ways to share your knowledge on a subject and more than enough folks out there looking to fill air time. Crush it!
Erica Holloway is Founder of Galvanized Strategies and Chief of Strategy for Mouth Marketing.
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